Conveyer device



1932' E. w. WITTER 1,870,432

CONVEYER DEVICE Filed Sept. 26, 1929 INVENTOR EYQL W. W/TTE/F BYW ATTORNE Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EARL VJ. WITTER, OF NEW BRIGHTON, STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T'O UNITED STATES GYPSUM COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CONVEYER DEVICE Application filed September 26, 1929. Serial No. 395,286.

This invention relates to a device for causing a constant flow of powdered material to a conveyer and has reference more particularly to a device of the class described in 5 which a vibrator device is used to insure flow of powdered material.

In the manufacture of certain powdered materials, it was found that they do not flow freely in chutes or other passageways lead- 10 ing to conveyers or other points of discharge.

This is especially true with gypsum stucco which has been manufactured with a finishing operation of tube or ball milling, which reduces the stucco to an impalpable powder which is not free flowing.

An object of this invention therefore, is to provide a device for causing the uniform and continuous flow of powdered material through passageways to points of discharge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device operated by a vibrator to cause a vibration of the walls of a housing and thus insure a continuous flow of the powdered material theret-hrough; also to improve conveying devices in other respects hereinafter specified and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved conveying device,

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the device shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation through the device on line 33 of Figure 1.

It should be understood that my device is adapted for causing the free flow of any kind of powdered material through any kind of passageway, but for the purpose of illustration I have shown my device applied to the lower part of a bin 10 which is used for containing gypsum stucco that has been reduced to an impalpable powder by a ball milling or tube milling operation. Gypsum stucco in this fine powdered condition is not very free flowing and is apt to hang up in a passageway, duct or other conveying device and thus stop the action of the machinery.

As usually constructed, a transverse housing 11 of rectangular cross section, is arranged in the lowerportion of bin 10, said housing being provided with a cover 12 and an opening 13 on each of the side walls of said housing 11. The upper reach 14 and the lower reach 15 of a drag chain conveyer passes through said housing and through the walls of the bin 10, the upper reach 14 of said conveyer sliding on a channel strip 16 which engages the side walls of housing 11 just above the openings 13, and the lower reach 15 slides on channel strip 17 which engages the side walls of housing 11 just below the openings 13. The bin 10 is usually provided with a concrete base or bottom 18, upon which the housing 11 is supported, The drag chain conveyer passes around an idler sprocket wheel 19 at one end and around a drive sprocket wheel 20 at the opposite end, the lower reach 15 of said conveyer delivering the powdered material to a. point of discharge.

The sprocket wheel 20 is secured to a shaft 22 and a sprocket wheel 23 is secured to said shaft outside the housing 11, being connected by a chain not shown, to a source of power, such as an electric motor.

It sometimes happens that the powdered material packs in the lower part of bin 10 and refuses to flow through the openings 13 so that no material is delivered to chute 21 by the drag chain conveyer. I have therefore provided a means of vibrating the housing 11 and housing cover '12, which is operated by an electrical magnetic vibrator 25 of the make and break type, the same being supplied with electric current by conductors 26. An adjusting screw 27 is provided on the vibrator 25 to regulate the intensity of the vibration. A vibrator rod 28 leads from the vibrator 25 and is connected by nuts 29 to a bracket 30 which is secured to the lower face of a metallic beam 31. A connecting rod 32 is secured to each end of beam 31'by nut 33 and the upper end of each connecting rod is rigid- 1y secured by nuts S-it to a vibrator bar 35. Thus the axial vibration of vibrator rod 28 causes the vibrator bar 35 to hammer on the cover 12 and thus loosen the material around housing 11 and cause said powdered material to flow through opening 13 to the lower reach 15 of the drag chain conveyer. The Vibrator 25 is supported by suitable framework 36 secured to the bin bottom 18 below transverse beams 37.

I would state in conclusion that while the 5 illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself precisely to said details, since manifestly, the same may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of m the invention as defined in the appended claim.- 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a bin unloading device for powdered material, a bin, a housing passing through said bin, a discharge conveyer operating in said housing, said housing being provided with an opening in the walls thereof to permit flow of powdered material from said bin to said conveyer a vibrator bar in vibration contact with a wall of said housing at the bottom of'said bin, connecting rods leading from said vibrator bar through the bottom of said 2 bill, and an electrical vibrator connected to the lower end of said connecting rods and adapted to cause the vibration of the walls of said housing to cause the free flow of powdered materlal through said opening.

so EARL W. WITTER. 

